The present invention relates to a transducer protection device, particularly for hemodialysis processes, suitable for measuring the blood pressure in the patient during hemodialysis.
It is known that in this field one of the strongly felt problems is to prevent the blood pressure measurement device from becoming infected by any virus present in a patient which may be transmitted to a subsequent patient, to operators and even to the entire hemodialysis machine.
In particular, it has been found that the protective devices currently in use consist of elements which, through ducts, are connected at one end to a main duct, which connects the patient to the hemodialysis machine, and at the other end to another duct which leads to a blood pressure measurement device. Said elements comprise two tubular connectors made of plastics being connected to the ducts. The two tubular connectors blend with two respective circular flanges between which, during sealing, a membrane of semipermeable material is interposed, which is suitable for retaining the liquids and/or the viruses present in said liquids. The membrane covers the entire circular surface of the two flanges and is fixed thereon during the sealing/gluing of the flanges.
Although this solution solves the problem of protection from viral infections, it requires considerably complex operations for construction, with consequent damage risks to the membrane, and moreover it does not ensure the necessary tightness of the membrane between the flanges.
The aim of the present invention is to obviate said drawbacks by providing a transducer protection device which allows excellent membrane tightness.
Within the scope of this aim, an object of the present invention is to ensure protection against viral particles for the pressure measurement device and for the hemodialysis machine, as well as for the patient and the health operators.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure which is simple, relatively easy to be manufactured, safe in use, effective in operation and has a relatively low cost.
These and other objects are achieved by the present transducer protection device, particularly for hemodialysis processes, which comprises a first element and a second element made of plastics which are mutually coupled coaxially with respect to a common axis and respectively comprise a first tubular connector and a second tubular connector blended with respective flanges which are coaxial to said common axis, said flanges being coupled to each other along their peripheral region by ultrasonic thermal bonding, said device being characterized in that a recess is formed frontally on a first one of said flanges, said recess being coaxial to said common axis and being suitable to accommodate, in a fixed arrangement, a semipermeable membrane by imbibition of melted plastics along a circular border region by way of the thermal bonding provided on a circular ridge which is shaped complementarily to said border region and protrudes frontally from the second flange so as to achieve bonding between said first and second flanges and said membrane.